Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is offering quite a challenge to brilliant minds everywhere: create a condom that men prefer to use over no condom.

On Gates' "Impatient Optimists" website for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a blog post describes how condoms are effective at preventing the spread of HIV and unintended pregnancy, but most people don't want to use them. Why? Mainly because it hinders the sexual experience.

The blog post was written by Papa Salif Sow, a senior program officer in HIV Prevention at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Stephen Ward, a program officer for Discovery & Translational Sciences at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"It may seem obvious, but the success and impact of any public health tool hinges on that tool being used consistently and correctly by those who need it," said the blog post. "Vaccines sitting on shelves don’t prevent disease. New tuberculosis drug regimens won’t help if patients stop taking them halfway through the necessary days. Likewise, the potential value of condoms is limited by inconsistent use."

It mentions that many other HIV preventative and contraceptive methods are in development, such as fast-dissolving vaginal films and combination vaginal rings. However, many of these alternatives are years from hitting store shelves either due to development issues, regulatory approval, etc.

We have a perfectly good solution already available: condoms. But Gates feels it is time to give the condom a much-needed update so that they're used more frequently.

"What if we could develop a condom that would provide all the benefit of our current versions, without the drawbacks?" said the blog post. "Even better, what if we could develop one that was preferred to no condom?"

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is challenging scientists, entrepreneurs, etc. to partake in the Next Generation of Condoms, which is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations.

Gates' Grand Challenges are always looking for an old idea to redesign and make into a more effective product. For example, last August, Gates awarded prizes to three teams at an event in Seattle, Washington called "Reinvent the Toilet Challenge." Scientists, inventors, designers and students enrolled in the challenge were asked that they create a toilet design that strays from the traditional flush toilet.

If you've got an idea that will encourage "wrapping" it while making men still want to "tap" it, then submit your ideas to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation here.

How do you use a condom for disease prevention, but not for pregnancy prevention? If you prevent disease transmission, you are also preventing pregnancy.

The Vatican has waged such a campaign against condom use that any Catholic without internet access (most of them) would believe that it is against church law to use one for any purpose.

This is my primary problem with organized religion. The Catholic church is very hard to distinguish from a cult and it doesn't promote a relationship with God. Christ tore the veil. There is no barrier between us and God. We don't need an intermediary (aside from Christ), and we certainly don't need a hierarchy of them. If one needs to determine if using a condom is a sin, they simply need to read the Bible and ask God, not some dude with a fancy hat. Its this lack of relationship with God that is the problem and its EXACTLY what the Catholic church promotes.

No, he wasn't. His opener, "the idiocy of religion" is an insult to the billions of people of faith the world over. It's hate speech, pure and simple, no matter how you slice it.

If someone started a sentence with "the idiocy of the Jews". Or "the idiocy of black people". Or "the idiocy of gays" it would immediately be branded as hate speech. But because bashing Christians and Catholics is "cool", everyone jumps to his defense? Got it.

I'm not catholic... but it does come across as hateful. Religion has been debated for thousands of years and won't be settled on dailytech :-). Opinions CAN be different without being offensive though.

Religion is not faith. Religion is rules, doctrine and dogma. You can have a relationship without religion. That is the whole point of the New Testament! The Pharisees and Sadducees were ALL about religion and Jesus rebuked them as hypocrites. The elder son in the parable of the prodigal son represented the religious leaders (and religious people) of the time and they were strongly condemned.

Organized religion was created at a time when people were EXTREMELY superstitious. They did not understand things that were happening around them and needed a explanation. How else could we get that night is a black sheet drawn over the sky with holes poked in it for stars? Later on, the leaders realized that religion was a powerful force to control people with. Look at all the wonderful things people have done to each other over the years because of religion.I was raised Roman Catholic but pretty much denounced it as who wants to follow a religion based on guilt and suffering. There is no need for religion. There is no brain surgery in the 10 Commandments. Nothing special about Christ's teachings that weren't discovered WAY before he was born. It can be pretty much summed up in "Be excellent to each other". If you choose religion, that's all you. how does it feel to believe in an imaginary friend for grown ups?

quote: Organized religion was created at a time when people were EXTREMELY superstitious.

There is no were , people are still massively superstitious if its not a believe in god is 911 truthers, Birthers, athiests and the list goes on. Only a fool believes we are any less superstitious in this age of "Enlightenment" then we were in the dark ages or any time before that and only a fool dismisses the power of such believes as a net negative the Egyptian civilization exited for thousands of years ruled by God Kings.